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European Unions Want to Impoverish Workers

Even socialist and Marxist economists acknowledge that capital formation is the key to long-run growth and higher living standards. To be sure, they mistakenly think government should do the saving and investing, but at least they understand one of the prerequisites for future growth. Unfortunately, the same can be said for today’s European unions. According to a story in the EU Observer, trade unions are trying to discourage hedge funds and private equity from investing in Europe. This self-destructive effort – presumably motivated by a desire to prop up industries with inefficient union workforces – ensures that Europe will become even less competitive. In the long run, this means lower pay for workers:

Trade unions across the EU are preparing themselves to go on the offensive against the “big beasts” of private equity and hedge funds, believing their profit-oriented drive is undermining the bloc’s social fabric. “No one wants just a single market, they want something else out of Europe – some security against the big beasts that are in the single market like private equity and hedge funds,” the head of the European Trade Union Confederation John Monks (ETUC) told EU Observer.…Referring to “casino capitalism,” he said venture capitalists were only interested in buying a company, boosting the share price and selling, “leaving companies weakened by big debt.” …Critics say they often operate beyond normal regulations and are not transparent. The issue first generally entered the public consciousness in 2005 when Franz Muntefering, now German vice-chancellor, referred to hedge funds - which borrow large sums to bet in financial markets – as “locusts” waiting to swoop in and strip German companies of their assets, causing major job losses.